Venus Williams to play first Grand Slam after sister Serena Williams' retirement, receives wildcard for Australian Open 2023

Venus Williams has been given a wild card to compete in the main draw of the 2023 Australian Open.

Williams will return to Melbourne Park for the 22nd time in 25 years since her first appearance in 1998. The former world No. 1 reached the women's singles final in 2003 and 2017, but was defeated by her sister Serena Williams on both occasions. She has reached the quarterfinals or better on nine other occasions.

“I am very excited to be returning to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January,” Williams said in a statement released by Australian Open.

“I’ve been competing in the country for over 20 years now and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly. It will be an honor to play for the fans again and I’m looking forward to making more memories at the tournament this year.”

“Venus is not just an incredible player and fan favourite, she’s a great role model and leader in our sport in so many ways. We are delighted to welcome her back to the AO in January.” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said.

Her last appearance at the Australian Open was in 2021, in which she was knocked out in the second round by former world No.5 Sara Errani. The 42-year old is currently ranked No. 1007 in the world and the star has played only four singles matches in 2022, losing all of them.

"I've been hitting ever since" - Venus Williams claims she has been practicing hard ever since her disappointing 2022 US Open doubles performance

Venus Williams pictured during the 2022 US Open

Venus Williams earlier discussed her return to tennis, stating that she had been practicing a lot since her disappointing first-round exit in the 2022 US Open doubles.

"A lot of people have been asking me... 'are you gonna play again?' I love tennis and I would like to play again and I will let you know exactly when," Venus Williams said in her YouTube channel.

"I've been honestly hitting the court a lot and let me tell you when I hit the court... right after the doubles match that we played at the US Open. I immediately booked the court the next day and I went to every single practice in New York. I hit indoors and I've been hitting ever since," Williams said.

She also stated that she is working on improving her forehand and serve, which she considers to be "the most important shots" in tennis.

"I've been actually working a lot of things, mainly, my forehand. Probably one of the most important shots. My serve, THE MOST IMPORTANT SHOT in tennis is your serve. So folks, if you're a tennis player, get a good serve, get a big serve," Williams said.